Hand-lighting acetylene-gas burner.



No. 666,335. Patented Ian. 22, |90I.

' H. C. THOMSON.

HAND LIGHTING ACETYLENE GAS BURNER.

(Application Bled Apt. 18, 1900.) (No Model.)

l Il rH il L f iii?" i lilNrrnn Staates Flament trice,

HENRY O. THOMSON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE ELEOTRO GAS LTGHTING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

HANDHLEGHTENG ACETYLENE-GAS BURNER.

SPECIFECATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 666,335, dated January 22, 1901.

Application filed April 13, 1900. Serial No. 12,680. (No model.)

To ai?, whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY O. THOMSON, of Boston, in the county of Suolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Hand-Lighting Acetylene-Gas Burners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a combination of elements, all of which, except in form, are individually old, by which an arrangement of the elements can be adapted to the electric lighting of acetylene gas, which, owing to its extraordinary contents of carbon, cannot be successfully lighted by electricity by means of the devices for use with ordinary burning gas. The reason of this is as follows: Acetylene gas contains about ninety-seven per cent. of carbon. lt is for this reason that the burnertip is properly formed with two branches, each containing a lava tip and each lava tip containing a number of holes, thus more readily insuring a requisite supply of oxygen. Yet owing to this very form of the burner every orifice for the escape of the acetylene gas is not at the end of a perfectly vertical line of flow, and therefore these lava tips with several holes in time become clogged and need to be removed from the burner to be cleansed. For that reason it is impossible that electrodes should be placed in connection with these lava tips, since uninstructed persons in replacing them would be sure to miss the proper alinement. Furthermore, were the fixed electrode placed in close proximity to said orifices unconsumed carbon would gradually deposit itself upon the electrode and render it useless. For these reasons, although it is possible to light acetylene gas for a few times with electric gas-lighting burners as ordinarily constructed, yet they are so easily rendered entirely incompetent that it may be said that they cannot be practically used. it is therefore advisable to use an auxiliary burner, and essential, too, that this auxiliary burner should be so formed as to give a perfectly vertical line to be followed by the acetylene gas, and that its tip should be such as to emit so small a quantity of the gas that it will be sure of entire consumption when ignited by the electric spark. It follows that not only are all forms of existing electric gas-lighting apparatus uniitted for practical use in lighting acetylene gas, but it is further true that the combination of a mere auxiliary burner, without reference to the structure or arrangement of its combination with the other devices, would not produce a successful apparatus for thus lighting acetylene gas; and my invention has therefore, been made by adopting the auxiliaryburner idea and then byconstructing and arranging the auxiliary burner and the main burner and the lighting devices into an apparatus by which, for the first time, so far as I know, it is possible to practically and commercially light. acetylene gas by electricity.

My invention consists in selecting, forming, and combining a peculiarly shaped burner, a special form of auxiliary burner, a fixed electrode, electric devices for obtaining the illuminating-spark, and devices for turning` on and off the acetylene gas.

My invention is clearly shown in the drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a front elevation of the entire combination. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail showing the form of the auxiliary burner and the fixed electrode; and Fig. 4 is a detail showing the form of the main-burner tip.

I will now explain my invention in connection with the drawings, in which similar letters and numerals refer to similar parts.

A is the burner-tube, and d the main acetylene-gas tip, which may be made of a different metal, if desired. a represents two branches of this acetylene tip having several apertures 1.

B is an auxiliary-burner tube, to which the gas is admitted, as hereinafter explained, carrying the fixed electrode-support b, the actual point of contact being b.

b2 is the circuit-connecting screw, and this, as well as b, is insulated from B at b3.

The gasvalve O (not internally shown, but having a proper gas-orifice) is the ordinary oscillating valve.

D is a plate rigidly attached to the stem of the oscillating valve O and having the teeth d at its lower extremity and extending into an arm d', carrying the guide d2. E is a pin placed within said guide d2.

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F is a coiled spring attached to arm d upon the plate D atf, said coiled spring F extending into a wiping contact j, adapted to make contact with the fixed electrode h'. Between the plate D and ashouldercon the gas-valve C is placed a rotating ratchet wheel G. (Shown in dotted lines in Fig. I and sonnewhat more plainly in Fig. 2.)

g is a spring attached at 2, having its end adapted to engage the ratchet-wheel G in order to prevent the ratchet-wheel moving except from right to left in Fig. l, the purpose of this appearing later on.

H is a supporting-shelf.

The bnrneris connected with the gas-fixture at 71, the part of the burner a2 being the part to be screwed onto the gas-fixture.

I is the thumb-stem for operating the apparatus and extends through the shelf H and terminates in a horizontal plate t, having teeth 'i adapted to gear with the teeth d of the plate-arm D as the key is turned. The key can be turned about a quarter-circle, its motion being limited by a stud enga-ging with a cut-away portion (not shown) of the plate i2 on the thumb-key just below the shelf H.

I may say that the mechanism of the stemhandle I, the supporting-shelf H, the horizontal plate/', and the plate D,havingthe ratchetteeth CZ and carrying the pin E, rising and falling in the spring F, whose topf is adapted to make contact with a lixed electrode, is a combination substantially shown in VLetters Patent No. 562,891 to George J. Galbraith. It will be understood without referring to said patent, however, from the drawings that the main function of the ratchet G is to elevate the pin E, so as to force the tip f into contact with the fixed electrode b' when the gas is to be turned on and lighted, and it will be seen that inasmuch as said pin E rests in the bottom of one of the notches and causes the ratchet to revolve by bearing against the side of successive teeth of the ratchet it wil not cause any elevation of the tip f when the gas is turned olf. It should be further said that the construction of the parts b h and their adaptation to the moving electrodef are such that said tip f first comes in contact with the projection b, by which the moving tip f is gradually caused to move toward and into contact with h, which is preferably made of platinum, as constituting the best electric make-and -break Contact, while the auxiliary burner B and the parts Z), b2, and h3 may properly1 be made of brass or such metal as the entire combination is made of.

Having explained the construction, I will now explain the operation of my apparatus.

In the position of the apparatus shown in Figs. l and 2 the gas is shut oft. Upon moving the keya quarter-turn the pin E will ride up on a tooth of the ratchet-wheel G, so that it will elevate the end f of the spring F, causing it to make contact first with the brass projection l; and then with the lixed electrode b in passing. This same movement has gradually opened the gas-valve, and some of the gas has passed through the auxiliary burner B and issued therefrom, so as to be met by the electric illuminating-spark caused by the separation of the moving electrodef from the iixed electrode b', thereby lighting the gas. As the motion is continued the gas has also begun to pass through the double-burner tip d and to issue from the holes l therein. At the end of the swing ot' the plate D the gasway through the auxiliary burner B is cut olf and the entire amount of gas escapes throuwgh the main burner A; but before this occurs the main body oi' gas escaping from the holes l in the termination a of the main burner A has been illuminated from the lighted gas over the auxiliary burner B, so that there is no longer occasion For the gas to pass through the auxiliary burner B. In order to turn olf the gas, the handle I is reversed a quarterturn, and it will be seen that the wipingelectrode f' will not come in contact on the return with the xed electrode b', because the pin E will rest during the whole return excursion in the lowest part of the ratchetwheel G, which will revolve with the pin E on the return stroke. The ratchet-wheel is stationary, being held so by the spring g only when the gas is turned on, thus causing the pin E to rise over the ratchet-teeth.

Having fully described my invention, I do not claim, broadly, any one of the elements described or depicted; but

What I do claim, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is-

An apparatus for the electric lighting of acetylene gas, composed of a main burner constructed with two horns, as shown, an auxiliary burner carrying a fixed electrode, a gas-valve adapted to admit the gas to the auxiliary burner and then close the same upon the gas from the main burner beingignited, a wiping-electrode carried by an oscillating plate and mounted upon a ratchetwheel moving in only one direction With said plate and adapted to be alternately elevated and left relatively stationary by the swing of the moving plate, and means for vibrating the valve and moving plate to and fro to turn on and oit the gas and to make contact between the two electrodes only at the movement for turning on the gas, substantially as described and shown.

In witness whereof I hereunto set my hand this 10th day of April, 1900.

HENRY C. THOMSON.

In presence of- FRED. CHAMBERLIN, JAMES A. I-IENLEY.

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